We have another walker! :)

Dad's new hip is functioning well! The doc said the old hip was BAD, really worn down. Dad has already walked up and down the hallway. Thank you for praying, and thank God for such a good outcome thus far. Please continue to pray there are no complications, Lord willing. Right now Dad is in only a little bit of pain; the worst is the nausea, which we pray passes completely.

Waiting for surgery

Thanks for all your prayers! I am sitting at the joint replacement clinic with my parents, feeling well enough to be here although definitely not 100%. Dad goes in for surgery at 7:30 a.m. CST, so we appreciate your continued prayers. David and Will had low-grade fevers yesterday, so please pray for the babies too - as so many of you do daily; thank you!! Everyone was still asleep when I left the house, and I pray they remain so until at least 7 a.m. for their dear daddy's sake. (Speaking of which, both Marcie and Gracie now say, "Hi Daddy!" when they see Gavin. Darling little daughters!!!)

Thanks to those who prayed for Baby "Lea." Yesterday was a GOOD day for her in which the Lord's mercy and providence was clearly evident. We pray such good days and outcomes continue for this precious baby girl.

In cute quint news, Will watched Seth walking between Carlene, Lynee and Aunt Courtney in the living room last night, garnering LOTS of applause, so he decided he'd get in on the action. So Will, who has been walking for 3 months or more, walked between the ladies and received the praise and applause he considered was also due him. :) He was so proud of himself! Seth is practically running the last few steps between people; he kind of hurls himself into their arms.

Dad took David on one last Costco trip pre-surgery. We'll have to take the babies to visit him for the next month.

Thank you for praying.

Much love,
Carrie

A couple of urgent prayer requests for the adults

Hi all,

I started with a sore throat and achiness last night, and my throat is still swollen today with just an overall feeling of tiredness and being unwell. Gavin is also fighting a sore throat and exhaustion, and neither one of us can get the rest our bodies are telling us to get because we have five babies (no helper this morning).

The thing is, my dad goes in for hip replacement surgery tomorrow morning at 5:30 a.m., and I had arranged help with the babies all day long so I could be the driver for my parents (it's up in North Dallas, quite a ways from here) and be with them during the surgery and initial recovery. PLEASE PRAY that I get over this today, if the Lord is willing! I would hate to miss being with my dear dad, "Grandpadad" to the babies.

PLEASE PRAY especially for my dad's surgery to go as well as possible and for recovery to be as painless and successful as possible, and especially for protection from blood clots or any other adverse effect. My dad is in his mid-60's and has really bad hips thanks to playing football for Michigan State and always pushing himself to run, play racquetball, etc. He no longer has any cartilage left in either hip, so both will need to be replaced. The doctor said Dad's hips are as bad as any he's ever seen - he was amazed at how much Dad still does! Dad is my go-to guy for extra help with the babies, runs to the store, and picking up Isaac.

If you could please pray for stamina and rest for Gavin and me, for protection from anyone else getting this - especially our helpers!, and for super quick recovery, we'd really appreciate it.

Also, I can't say more than this, but please pray for both immediate and lasting protection for "Baby Lea." Her life and future hang in the balance today. Jesus loves the little children!

Thank you for caring and praying!
Carrie

Gracie and Seth enjoying one of their new books from Aunt Tracy with Miss Ellen

Isaac at work with Gavin after school - demolition is fun!

Aunt Sam sent us these hilarious shirts: "I'm ALWAYS getting picked up by women!"

The girls' shirts say, "I live in a gated community" and show a baby in a playpen. :)
Thank you, Samantha!!! We miss you and love you!

And he's off!

A rough start, but he's well on his way!! Hooray, Seth! Walking at 15 months adjusted age (which is how they calculate when looking at milestones and development; 15 months old from his due date).

He's been walking all afternoon and evening, very proud of himself. :)

If you build it, they will come! . . . and destroy it.

Sometimes siblings make it very difficult to accomplish anything . . .


But eventually it may work out, and it's usually a lot of fun!

Gracie with the mostly finished project
(Do you love how Gavin snapped her onesie over her pants? He said it was easier that way.)

I love how the Desitin became the top of this tower (above and right).

I think the highest the kids have been able to build on their own is five blocks. Hey, I'm impressed! :)

Thankfully Sarah was here today and yesterday to take pictures, otherwise I would have nothing to post. The couple of times I've tried to grab the camera the babies have stopped doing whatever cuteness they were doing or the camera batteries have died.

David's funny hands-behind-his-back pose

A couple of extra photos of David . . .

Amazon.com wish list

Someone asked me how to find our wish list. (And by the way, it's not complete yet - I have some items I need to add once I figure out numbers, sizes, dimensions, etc. - but there are a couple dozen items there already.)

You can click on "Wish List" in the upper right-hand corner of the Amazon.com home screen, select "Find a wish list or registry," and then type in Gavin R. Jones. You should see us as the first option, with Gavin Jones Quintuplets Wish List as one of the options in the box with a picture of us from Christmas. :)

Thank you!!!
Carrie

Sorry, not many pictures to post today:

Seth decided it was time to stand on his own - on the coffee table that had been moved to another room to prevent falls! He continually climbs up and stands on it (it's now shoved up against the couch and has crash pads - including our giant stuffed puppy, Philbert, all around it). He has also been standing on his own and walking around a bit near toys. I cut myself out of this picture, but I was standing right in front of him ready to grab while Gavin took this picture. :)

My sweet little book-obsessed girls! Grace is the one holding the book, and she's headed to the bookstore with me now, thanks to Aunt Tracy wanting to buy us some more books - hooray! A dog book is a high priority.

PNG preparations, Seth's PT progress, and cute stuff

Hi all,

It is a LOT of work sorting and packing for four year's worth of clothing for quintuplets! I have been working since before 9 this morning, it's after 2 now, and I've barely scratched the surface. We are one blessed family!!! THANK YOU to everyone who has sent us anything.

A number of people have asked me to please let them know what we need as we think ahead four years, living in a country where kids' clothing is hard to find (used clothing stores) or very cheaply made. That's why I'm trying to get this figured out now, and I will post it to the blog as per the request of a few of you - thank you!

We've started an Amazon.com wish list with curtains, bedding, miscellaneous other things we'll need. There is absolutely zero pressure on this, though - you've given SO much already! It's largely to help me remember what I've seen that I like so I can be sure I get something like it before we leave. For instance, I registered for insulated blackout curtains because it gets cold at 5,000 feet at night and in the early morning, plus we'll be arriving during their winter!

In other news, Seth has been doing amazingly well with walking, 4-5 steps at a time on his own, standing on his own (again; he had stopped doing it for a month or more), and getting up to a standing position without holding onto anything. His PT (physical therapist) wants to wait on the walker and foot brace because she thinks he's already getting so much better, plus she doesn't want him to become attached to a walker and feel like he needs it.

Seth tried to use David as a walker again yesterday, but David bit him. Guess that free ride's over!

Marcie and Gracie started saying "pretty" yesterday about Sarah's necklace. It sounds like of like "Pi-tee" with enough of a blurred "p" to kind of suggest the r sound. :) Gracie also said, "Hi, Daddy!" when Gavin came in last night. I didn't hear it, but he got her to do it again, except the second time she said, "Hi, Da-daddy!"

Will is hilarious; he keeps saying "Done-done-done!" instead of bye-bye when he's waving. I guess that person is "done" as far as being in our house. Or he's "done" and wants to go out. I know how he feels. ;)

It's snowing here today! Isaac's school closed early. It's always nice to have him around to entertain the babies. He gets them laughing SO hard! He's also a huge help to me in meeting their needs and running things around the house. It's good to have young legs and lots of energy and a helpful spirit, thank God!

I've got lots of pictures today:

The girls with their morning coffee mugs and spoons (empty, but they want to be like me)

My beautiful mom with her beautiful granddaughters. The coordinating outfits happened by accident!

Just some of the clothes I was sorting! David LOVES getting up on the table . . .

. . . especially if there's a computer. Thankfully it was password-protected, and he's gentle with the keys. 

Will and Gracie had to sit in the boxes, of course, after helping me unpack them a bit.

This empty cabinet (NOT a fall and crush-risk, thankfully!) is a huge hit with the kids. David with Gracie and Will inside.

Gracie wanted to be the only one inside and managed to push out both Will and David

Uh-oh, poor Grace. :( David persevered and won a spot inside.

David and Isaac playing last night

Marcie fell asleep on Grandpadad last night. David is walking by.

Big Gavin and "Little Gavin" (David)

Apparently it's never too early to climb trees - or at least be put in one with Daddy standing right there!

Little Ragamuffin Seth with a dirty nose and stretched-out shirt, looking adorable nonetheless!

I wanted to mention in reply to those of you who have thanked me for keeping up with the blog, it would not be possible if it weren't for the lovely people who help care for our babies and do our house chores! So you really need to thank them. :) As I'm writing this Lynée is coping with a roomful of increasingly fussy, nap-ready toddlers, so I'd better run and help!

Love and gratitude,
Carrie